St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-27
SHE CEASED TO TEACH.
Vassar College Suffers a Loss and
Mr.. Merrick Gets a Wife.

MI. m0frlCk OcIS a w lie.
New York Sun, Nov. IS: The climax
in the pretty romance in which Miss
Priscilla ii. Braislin, the late professor
of mathematics in Nassar college, was
the heroine was reached yesterday
when she became the wife of Timothy
Merrick, one of the best-knOwn and
wealthiet citizens of HOlyOke, Mass.
The marriage was very quietly solemn
lied at $50 O'Clock in the afternoon,
at the residence of Rev. Edward Brais-
lin, the pastor of the Washington Ave
nue. Baptist church and brother OF the
bride. No. 3O6 st. James place. Rev.
Mr.. BraiSlin Officiated and was assisted
by Rev. DIR. r. J. Adams, of Boston.
No persons had been invited except the
immediate relatives of the contracting
parties. and of these there were only a
few who witnessed the ceremony.
The bride, as described by an add
miring friend, looked imposing and
queenly in pearl-Satin dress with
flowing train, whose chief trimmings
were white roses and lace. Her full
wavy irOn-gray or almost white hair was
unadorned, except with a few flowers,
and diamond cluster pin shown in her
breast. Her complexion was as fair
and fresh and her light blue eyes were
as bright as some of the prettieSt stu
dents in the alma mater of the mature
bride could boast of. There were many
beautiful and costly wedding presents,
including the magnificent vase, gift
from the VaSSar girls to their professor
of mathematics. At the close of the
ceremony there was family banquet
and the happy couple took their depar.
ture early in the evening for Washing
ton, where the honeymoon will be spent.
No person has been more closely iden-
titled with NaSSar college than the bride
of yesterday, and no one has made
stronger or more favorable impression.
Prof. BraiSlin alone shared with Prof.
Maria Mitchell the honor of having been
continuously in the college since its or
ganizatiOn in in 1865, and for over ten
years she has held the important place
of professor of mathematics. Each
graduating class has regarded Miss
BraiSlin as the imperS0natiO on of their
alma mater. and for very many years
the interest in the favOrite professor has
been heightened by the tradition. passed
from class to class, that there was a sad
rOmancein her life. and that Just before
her connection with the college she had
been crossed in love. The man, it was
said, who had alone gained her affec-
tons. had for some reason broken off the
engagement and married another lady.
Whatever truth there might be in the
story, the brightness and sunshine in
which the college life of the professor
of mathematics was ever enVeloped.
proved that the episode, whatever it was,
had not soured the heart of Miss Brais-
lin, or in any way lessened her SYM
pathies with the young people who
! came and went through the classic halls
of VaSSar while she remained.
Of these hundreds of young people
none were of more interest TO Prof.
BraiSlin than two sisters, the daughters
of Timothy Merrick, of HOlyoke, who
were in the class of "a. They were the
daughters of Mr.. Merrick'S second wife,
and their mother died in the winter of
1885, before the time of the graduation
arrived. Strange to say, the college
traditions fixed on the father of the
Misses Merrick as the man who figured
in Miss Braislin's early romance. AT all
events, the two young students from
H0lyOke became dearer and dearer to
Prof. BraiSlin. and that the latter be-
came very dear to their father has been
pretty well established by the little GER
| emony which took place yesterday at
her brothers house in Brooklyn. At
the close of the commencement at Vas
| Sar last June it was whispered that
vacancy was likely TO occur in the chair
of the professor of mathematics, but it
was not until few weeks ago, when
the college was re-Opened, that it be-
came generally known that in future
Prof. Braislin would only be bright
memory and inspiration in the history
of alma mater. A committee was then
appointed to prepare wedding pres
4 loo fr,1 H. IL,
Merrick exhibited with so much pride
yesterday was the result. Mr.. Merrick
is fine-Ioobing, well-preserved man of
| sixty. He is one of the wealthiest and
| most distinguished citizens of HolyOke,
and is known all over the country as the
head of the Merrick Thread Company.
He has family of seven children by
his former wives, four sons and three
] daughters, the eldest of whom, Miss